AFib Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease Also Benefit from Warfarin

By Larry Husten

A large observational study, published in JAMA, offers some reassurance that anticoagulation in atrial fibrillation patients who also have chronic kidney disease may be beneficial.

Researchers in Sweden analyzed data from more than 24,000 survivors of acute myocardial infarction who had AF. More than half of this group had CKD (stage 3 or worse), and more than a fifth of all patients were treated with warfarin.

After 1 year of follow-up, warfarin recipients had a lower rate of death, MI, or stroke but no significant increases in bleeding complications, relative to nonrecipients. Severity of CKD did not affect the results.

Editorialists discuss some study limitations, including uncertain generalizability (Sweden's INR control is the best in the world). Nevertheless, they conclude that the findings "support the use and continuation of warfarin therapy among patients with CKD with excellent INR control."

Adapted from CardioExchange